Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s six breweries, one in Los Alamos, and one in Moriarty also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

While the cats are away, er, brewers, brewery owners, and beer writers are in Denver at the Great American Beer Festival this weekend, there will be plenty to do for those of you who are staying in Albuquerque and Santa Fe over the next few days. First up, Blue Hornets and Crazy Fool are performing at Marble Downtown tonight (Wednesday) from 6 to 9 for the Stomp Out Cancer benefit show. Tractor has another local artist releasing a special commemorative glass this Thursday at 7 p.m. at Wells Park. James Montoya’s glass release will be paired with the release of Jack the Sipper, and The Julian Dossett Trio will perform at 8 p.m. Rio Bravo is throwing an Oktoberfiesta on Friday at 6 p.m. There will be a special German-themed food menu from The Burger Stand, vendors, dancing, and The Big Spank will perform, plus plenty of Oktoberfest and Schwarzbier on tap. Saturday, of course, marks the start of the ABQ Balloon Fiesta, and Steel Bender will be opening its patio bright and early at 7 a.m. There will be beer sales, or coffee from Pour Vida Coffee Roasters or hot chocolate from Joliesse Chocolates if you’re not awake enough that early. There will also be plenty of food from the kitchen and Los Ranchos Bakery. Oh, and Saturday will also mark the debut of Alewitch Pumpkin Ale. For the rest of the Fiesta, the patio will open at 8 a.m. (remember, no alcohol sales before noon on Sunday, which is one of those dumb, archaic state laws), and then again at 7 on the final Saturday.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few additional options to check out. Ale Republic roles out a new Belgian-style beer, Single and Read to Mingle. Bosque gets a little hoppy with Oh Pale No! Boxing Bear has Oso Otono on tap again, plus Black and Blue Sour is back on tap and for sale in bombers. Canteen brings back its brown porter, Grundy Thunder. Dialogue added Marzen, Dry Irish Stout, and O.D.B. for its anniversary last weekend. La Cumbre rolls out Ryeot On this Friday on tap and in bombers. Marble has an Oaked Amber downtown, plus their collaboration with Telluride Brewing, Unit Monster (an imperial stout), is on tap at Heights and Westside. Starr Brothers will again tell everyone Don’t Fear the RIPA. Steel Bender also plans to roll out V.M.O.M.G. on Tuesday. Tractor has a huge tap turnover with Nitro Milk Stout, Javi Lager, and Cowboy Coffee returning, while Belgo Pale Ale and Three-Two debut.

Up in Santa Fe, Duel is releasing a barrel-aged version of Cezanne Verite on tap and in bombers on Saturday. Rowley Farmhouse Ales has a special dry-hopped version of their Germophile (Berliner Weisse) for a limited time. Second Street brings back 2920 IPA and Summer Rain Sour after a short absence for both.

Continue reading for all the news that is fit to blog for the week of October 1.

To break down each “capsule,” I listed the brewery (with Web page linked), its phone number and hours of operation. Under “Beers” are the new or seasonal beers on tap for this week.

Beers: Acequia (Wet-Hop) IPA, Dry Acequia, Down in the Hollow, Oktoberfest, Pistol Pete’s 1888, Oh Pale No!. Get some of that delicious Oktoberfest before it’s gone. The Pistol Pete’s 1888 was brewed for the New Mexico State University athletic program. Down in the Hollow is an English brown ale.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bosque has a happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for special menu items and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Beers: Otero ESB, Lone Pine Pilsner, Sancho Saison, Double Black IPA, Sancho de la Sierra, Pepe the Mule, Trailworks IPA. OK, fine, Pepe the Mule counts as a beer, even though it is basically a Moscow Mule, but it was made with beer. The Sancho de la Sierra is a rye version of the saison made in collaboration with Jubilation. The Trailworks was made in collaboration with Bikeworks, a neighboring business, with a portion of the proceeds going to trail maintenance in the metro area.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off pints and 20-ounce pours, Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.; “Just Because We Love You Club,” happy hour prices at all times for teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military with ID; Growler Fill Days on Thu and Sun, $2 off new growlers, $1 off refills

Beers: Tart and Soul (Guava Berliner Weisse), Tripel Whammy, Pilsner? I Barley Know’er!, January Embers Barleywine, Das Umlaut Oktoberfest, Eater of Worlds Pale Ale. The most recent additions include the return of January Embers, while Eater of Worlds and Das Umlaut are new.

Beers: Dad Joke (California Common), Tipsy Cow (Milk Stout), Warm Scottish Nights, An Irish Tan (English Bitter), Honey Wheat, Chica (Pale Ale), Hop Hill IPA. Hops has started out with these seven beers on tap, but they also have 31 more guest taps, just in case you don’t find one to your liking. The Hop Hill (7.1% ABV, 69 IBU) was the most recent addition.

Beers: (house) Apricot Ale, Blonde, Farm House Ale, IPA, Red, Scotch Ale, Session IPA; (seasonal) Hefeweizen, Farmhouse Apricot, Mars DIPA, Lobo Red Ale. The recent change in ownership at Kellys has led to some seriously improved beers and food, so we decided it was high time to add it to the listings. The summer seasonals are the Hefeweizen and Farmhouse Apricot, replacing the Rye Pale Ale and Dry Stout, plus the Mars DIPA. The Lobo Red was brewed for the University of New Mexico athletic program, if you could not guess.

Beers: All That I Need Kellerbier, ‘Merica (Pale Ale), Simcoe SMASH IPA, Ales for ALS IPA. If you can still find a bottle of the Wet Hopped Elevated, get it fast. Sorry to say that Oktoberfest ran out. I might have consumed the last pint on tap. Ryeot On arrives on tap and in bombers Friday.

Beers: Peach Berliner Weisse, Mike’s Beer (American Pilsner), Bruce (Black IPA), Loch Lomas Oatmeal Stout, Clark (Hazy IPA), Fresh Hop Clark, Oktoberfest, Mangose. QC gets dark with the return of Bruce, which was brewed in the hazy New England style but still as a black IPA, and Loch Lomas. The Oktoberfest is a delightful way to welcome the start of autumn.

Beers: Imperial Red IPA, Plum Gose, Oktoberfest, Blackberry Hefeweizen (downtown only), White AF IPA (downtown only). The Imperial Red IPA was the first in a series of beers to celebrate Red Door’s recent anniversary. The Plum Gose was second and Oktoberfest was third.

Also, every first Monday of the month at both Tractor locations is Beer for a Better Burque night. For every pint you buy $1 can go to one of four charities that have partnered with Tractor. You can also opt to purchase a special growler with the logo of your favorite charity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Tractor now has a late happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on Mondays with $2.25 classic beers and $3.25 seasonals.

Beers: Fields of Rye, Saison du Sarlacc, Agent Scully – Season One, Episode Four (IPA), Germophile (Berliner Weisse), Meier (Meyer Lemon Gose), Tea for Two (Saison), Fruhschoppen (Hefeweizen), Little White Lies (Belgian Blonde), Sanctuario – Chardonnay. The Agent Scully is a new series of IPAs which will vary by hop combinations. Episode 4 is the most recent addition. The Sanctuario is also available in bombers. This batch of Germophile was dry-hopped with Motueka and Simcoe.

Beers: Freestyle Pilsner, Autonomous Collective IPA, Oktoberfest, Hefe’d Up, Cucumber Saison (ECS), Secret Society of A.L.T. (ECS), Wet Hop Pale Ale (ECS). Rejoice, for Oktoberfest is back, even though it doesn’t feel much like autumn yet. And yes, Freestyle is still around for a limited time as well, but rumors persist it may never leave the lineup.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off growler refills in the tasting room on Mondays. $2 pint Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 pint special in the tasting room. On Thursday, there will be $1 off growler refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Beers: Oktoberfest, Cherry Sour, Interstella Vanilla, Cherry Wheat, Single Hop IPA. The Whiskey Stout will return in a week-and-a-half. The Cherry Sour is back for another run. Oktoberfest is now available on tap.